John Kampf: Ohio State offense hoping to hit another gear

10. Ohio State is averaging 46.8 points per game. Yet as the Buckeyes prepare this week for a Week 7 game against visiting Iowa, they are still hoping to fully click on offense. Despite an offense that runs for 280 yards and throws for 213 yards per game, the Buckeyes feel there is another level to hit. “We haven’t clicked on all cylinders yet,” OSU running backs coach Stan Drayton said this week.
9. So what’s missing? Continuity. Braxton Miller has shown flashes of greatness this year — not as many as last year, mind you — but they are there. The running game has been a revolving door because of Carlos Hyde’s suspension and Jordan Hall’s injury. Field-stretching Dontre Wilson didn’t run an offensive play at Northwestern.
8. Offensive coordinator Tom Herman said during OSU’s off week, the coaching staff was going to research what they do well and what they don’t do well. There might be more of a concentration of the playbook if that’s the case. Or maybe the off week will get OSU better honed on what it wants to do and be more consistent doing it.
7. Much rests on Miller’s shoulders, legs and arms. He has to be better. The downfield passing game was much better with Kenny Guiton, but that doesn’t mean Guiton should be in there in Miller’s place. Miller does a lot of things right. But he can’t fumble like he did at Northwestern.
6. The development of Wilson seems to have hit a wall. He was supposed to be the guy who could stretch the field side to side and vertically with his speed. He has been limited in what he can do — return kicks and run jet sweeps. Meyer said Wilson is a “novelty” right now and not a “football player.”
5. Meyer wants more from Wilson. OSU needs more from Wilson. “There’s other ways that we can be creative in getting him involved and not necessarily when he’s in, we’re handing the ball on a stretch play or running a wheel route.” Can OSU win without Wilson? Sure. But the Buckeyes are better with the threat of him on the field.
4. Ohio State has a ton of weapons. Miller at quarterback, Hyde at running back, Wilson or Hall at H-back, Jeff Heuerman at tight end, and a stable full of receivers consisting of Philly Brown, Devin Smith, Evan Spencer and Chris Fields. But there are times the sum of the parts doesn’t equal the individual talent.
3. “I think we are not an explosive team,” said Meyer, mentioning teams like Oregon and Clemson, which are. “That’s something I want to be. If I had to grade us, we are not explosive from the first to fourth quarter.” If Ohio State finds that explosiveness, that would constitute “clicking” on offense, which is the ability to just pound a team with your offense no matter what the defense does.
2. This week’s matchup against Iowa is an interesting one in that OSU runs the ball exceptionally well (280 yards per game) and Iowa defends it exceptionally well (88 yards per game). This might been one of those “clicking” days Ohio State is looking for, capitalizing with some explosive plays Meyer wants while Iowa loads up to stop the run like it has done al year.
1. Whether that’s Miller getting his electric step back in the running game or hits more long passes — or whether it’s Wilson being more than the novelty he’s been thus far — is the big question. The call here is OSU found some answers it looked for during its off week. Prediction: Ohio State 41, Iowa 17